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Geography and population
Plovdiv region is located in the central part of South Bulgaria. To the North,
Plovdiv region borders with the South steep slopes of the Balkan Mountains and
with the central part of the lower slopes of the Sredna Gora Mountains. To the
South, the region comprises parts of the Central Rhodopes, included in the
Alpo-Himalaya mountain chain. The central part of the region covers the
luxuriant flat Plovdiv plain, which is part of the Thracian valley. The region
covers a territory of 5,928 sq. km and is the forth-biggest region among the 28
regions of the Republic of
Bulgaria. The population of the
region is 722 000 people and ranks second in the country, after the capital
Sofia. The density of the population is 122 people on 1 sq. km, compared to the
average 80 people for the country. There are 17 municipalities in the region.
Logistics-roads, railroads, airports
The administrative centre of the region
– the town of Plovdiv, is with population of 340 000 people and is the second
biggest city in Bulgaria. It is also one of the biggest transport junctions in
Bulgaria and on the Balkans. The international road E 80 – Belgrade-Sofia-Plovdiv-Istanbul
runs close to the town. Close to the city passes the “Thracian Highway” which
connects the town with the capital Sofia, situated only 125 km away from Plovdiv.
286 km east of Plovdiv is the port of Bourgas; there is a well-organized
transportation between the two towns through trains, buses, and even planes.
Pamporovo, one of the most popular winter resorts in the country, is located 70
km away from Plovdiv through road II-86. 30-40 km south of Pamporovo is the
border with the Republic of Greece, where a new check-point is under
constructed. Thus, the town of Plovdiv will have an easy access to the ports of
Northern Greece.
The city of Plovdiv train station is a
part of the international railroad Belgrade-Sofia-Istanbul. Financial means are
provided for reconstruction and renovation of the railroad from Plovdiv to the
Turkish border, so that the trains would travel with a speed of 160-200 km/h.
Plovdiv International Airport is only 7 km away from the town and is often
functioning as a back-up airport to Sofia airport in cases of bad weather
conditions. The flat relief of the Plovdiv valley allows the development of a
sophisticated road network. Across the region’s territory, there are 59 km of
the “Thracian highway”; first class roads are 129 km long, second class roads –
227 km, and third class roads – 652 km. The remaining 1000 km roads are
municipal.
Financial institutions-banks
A number of Bulgarian and foreign banks
have branches in Plovdiv - Hebros Bank, DSK Bank, Municipal Bank, Bulbank,
Reifeisenbank, Union Bank, United Bulgarian Bank, Investment Bank and others. In
the towns of Asenovgrad, Karlovo and Parvomay there are several bank branches,
and in the smaller towns – at least 1 or 2 bank offices.
Business support and programmes
Plovdiv hosts a great number of consulting companies. They are specialized in
different profiles – financial and accounting consulting, preparation of
projects on different EU programmes, creation of strategies and programmes for
regional and municipal development.
Cultural/Recreation Resources
In the region of Plovdiv there are 40
different places for accommodation – hotels, motels, camping-sites, with a total
of 2082 beds. Hotels are available in almost all of the municipal centers. The
biggest hotel center in the region is the town of Plovdiv. The most modern are
the five-star hotels “Trimontium Princess” and “Novotel Plovdiv”, as well as the
luxury “Sankt Peterburg”, “Maritsa” and “Bulgaria”. There is a considerable
number of new small private hotels. The region of Plovdiv has leading functions
in the development of balneology and the balneological treatment. The most
important resort with international reputation is the town of Hissarya, with
treatment of enteric and renal diseases. The Narechenski bani resort specializes
in the treatment of diseases of the nervous system. The resort of Bania village
is less popular but with similar functions.
Places of interest
"Djendema" natural reserve - situated
in the Balkan Mountains to the south of "Botev" peak on 1400-2000 m. above sea
level.
The architectural masterpiece - "Starinen
Plovdiv" reserve, consists of a number of churches and houses, of the Bulgarian
national revival and the Ancient Roman theatre, which dates from the second
century B.C. and is still holds performances.
"Asenova" fortress, dating from the IX
century, near the town Asenovgrad.
"Bachkovo"
monastery is the second biggest working monastery in Bulgaria, dating from
the beginning of the XI century. The monastery has interesting architecture and
is surrounded by beautiful nature. In the same region is the "Arapovsky"
monastery known for its beautiful wall paintings and architecture.
The National Archeological Reserve -
Hissar consists of a preserved fortress wall and a tomb from IV century. A
"Thracian religious center" is near the village of Starosel in Hissar
municipality and is a part of a tomb necropolis. Extremely well preserved is "Heroon"
temple with high historical importance.
Schools/Universities/Job training
The town of Plovdiv is the second
biggest university centre in the country. There are six institutions of higher
education in the city:
• Medical Academy;
• Institute of food and beverage
industry;
• Agricultural Academy;
• Technical University;
• Plovdiv University, where pedagogical
studies and humanities are taught;
• Institute of music and pedagogy.
Also, there are a number of branches of
almost all popular institutions of higher education mostly with departments of
Economics.
There are many specialized high schools
in the region. 22 of them are technical schools and art schools with a term of
education – 4-5 school years, such as the Technical school of construction and
architecture, High school of food, beverages and tourism, High school of
engineering, High school of electronics and so on.
Business information and contact data
Commercial and Industrial Chamber -
Plovdiv
Tel.
+359 32 652643, 650314
Fax:
+359 32 652647
E-mail:
kamara@evro.net
Business Association - Plovdiv
Tel.
+359 32 628933
Fax:
+359 32 264478
E-mail:
biapl@hotmail.com
Union for Business Initiative - Plovdiv
Tel.
+359 32 273756
E-mail:
gagov_al@exite.com
Agricultural Chamber - Plovdiv
Tel.
+359 32 371409
National Transport Chamber
Tel.
+359 32 626009, 620001
Regional Vine-Growing Chamber
Tel.
+359 32 630865
International Fair, Plovdiv,
Tel.
+359 32 902 000
Fax +359
32 902 432
E-mail:
mailbox@fair-plovdiv.com
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